Mehdi Hasan's Zeteo Picks Up Gaza Documentary The BBC Refused To Air

Forbes

21 hours ago

Surgeons operate on a patient at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip amid ... More the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)
A high-profile documentary about Palestinian doctors working amid wartime conditions in Gaza — which the BBC decided not to broadcast — is now getting a global release, thanks to its acquisition by journalist Mehdi Hasan's media startup Zeteo.
The film, Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, was produced by Basement Films and features on-the-ground testimony from healthcare workers trying to save lives amid the destruction of Gaza's hospital system. Zeteo is releasing the documentary globally today, following months of delays and ultimately a final decision by the BBC to pull out of the project entirely.
Why Mehdi Hasan's Zeteo backed a Gaza documentary
Zeteo, which Hasan launched in 2024 to give voice to underreported stories and independent journalism, framed the acquisition as a stand for editorial independence. 'This is one of the reasons I founded Zeteo … to platform the journalistic voices that are being censored on the biggest issues of our time,' Hasan said in a statement about the documentary.
The BBC's reversal, it should be noted, came after what the broadcaster said was a review of a separate Gaza-related documentary. Ultimately, the BBC said airing Gaza: Doctors Under Attack would risk 'creating a perception of partiality.' Basement Films noted that the BBC had initially told them the film passed editorial review — a claim the network disputes. After the BBC ultimately passed on the documentary, however, more than 600 members of the film industry (including actress Susan Sarandon and director Mike Leigh) decided to speak out via an open letter.
The BBC, that letter argued, was silencing Palestinian voices.
Few modern conflicts have certainly sparked as much global outrage, division, and scrutiny as the war in Gaza — not just because of the war's scale, but for the staggering human toll on civilians. It began with the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, leading to a wide-ranging Israeli military campaign inside Gaza — one which has already claimed thousands of lives and left destruction throughout the region. The crisis has also raised serious concerns over safeguarding civilians, especially medics and aid workers on the front line.
Hospitals have fared terribly, with many being destroyed or destroyed. Physicians and nurses are operating with acute power, supply, and protection shortages in order to care for patients. Basement Films has stated that more than 200 of their Palestinian colleagues and partners have died in Gaza since the conflict began.
Hasan, a former MSNBC host, launched Zeteo as a subscriber-supported media platform after leaving the network following its cancellation of his weekend show there amid a programming reshuffle. For Zeteo's paid subscribers, the Gaza documentary will be available to stream starting today (July 2) at 5 p.m. ET. In the UK, it will be shown on Channel 4. 'We owe everything to our Palestinian colleagues on the ground … and the doctors and medics who trusted us with their stories,' Basement Films' statement continues, by way of thanking Zeteo and Channel 4 for enabling the film to be seen.